An International Atomic Energy Agency briefing on the crisis in Japan on Thursday.

As Reuters reports, cables obtained and distributed by Wikileaks reveal that American diplomats had concerns about the safety of Japan’s nuclear plants.

In one 2009 cable about the International Atomic Energy Agency, a diplomat criticized the work of Tomihiro Taniguchi, who was until last year the head of safety and security at the I.A.E.A. The leaked cable, which was published by The Guardian in December, said that Mr. Taniguchi, who spent three decades at Japan’s ministry of international trade and industry before joining the international agency, had been “a weak manager and advocate, particularly with respect to confronting Japan’s own safety practices,” during his time as the I.A.E.A. safety chief.

Reuters adds: “Separate cables quoted a Japanese lawmaker as telling visiting U.S. officials in October 2008 that power companies in Japan were hiding nuclear safety problems and being given an easy ride on commitments to renewable energy by the government.”

The news agency also reports:

The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi plant at the center of the crisis, the Tokyo Electric Power Co (TEPCO), has had a rocky past in an industry plagued by scandal.

Five TEPCO executives resigned in 2002 over suspected falsification of nuclear plant safety records and five reactors were forced to stop operations.

In 2006, the government ordered TEPCO to check past data after it reported finding falsification of coolant water temperatures at its Fukushima Daiichi plant in 1985 and 1988, and that the tweaked data were used in mandatory inspections at the plant, which were completed in October 2005.

The Lede’s coverage of the crisis in Japan will continue in the days and weeks ahead. In the meantime, please visit the NYTimes.com homepage to reader reports from my colleagues in Japan, watch video reports and explore interactive graphics. The Lede’s Japan Crisis Twitter list is also worth keeping an eye on.

Remarkable video shot by a Japanese news crew last Friday as the tsunami struck Sendai, in northeastern Japan, shows their dramatic escape and the rescue of several people who were pulled to safety before the camera.

The video, shot by a crew from Tohoku Broadcasting Company, a regional station based in Miyagi Prefecture, was broadcast by several international news channels on Thursday. This report, put together by Carl Dinnen of Britain’s Channel 4 News, explains the drama with annotation and subtitles:

As increasingly desperate efforts are made at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant to pour water into pools containing spent fuel rods inside badly damaged reactor buildings, my colleagues Keith Bradsher and Hiroko Tabuchi report that “Years of procrastination in deciding on long-term disposal of highly radioactive fuel rods from nuclear reactors are now coming back to haunt Japanese authorities.”

They explain that the spent fuel stored in the reactor buildings, which have been damaged by fire and explosions in recent days, is potentially more dangerous than the material inside the reactors:

Figures provided by Tokyo Electric Power on Thursday show that most of the dangerous uranium at the power plant is actually in the spent fuel rods, not the reactor cores themselves. The electric utility said that a total of 11,195 spent fuel rod assemblies were stored at the site.

That is in addition to 400 fuel assemblies that had been in active service in reactor No. 1 and 548 in each of reactors No. 2 and 3. In other words, the storage pools hold more than seven times as much radioactive material as the reactor cores.

Now those temporary pools are proving the power plant’s Achilles heel, as the water in the pools either boils away or leaks out of their containments, and efforts to add more water have gone awry. While spent fuel rods generate significantly less heat than newer ones, there are strong indications that the fuel rods have begun to melt and release extremely high levels of radiation.

On Wednesday, Gregory Jaczko, the chairman of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said that there was little or no water left in the storage pool located on top of reactor No. 4.

This video report from Britain’s Channel 4 News explains where the spent fuel rods are stored inside the buildings and shows what appears to be vapor coming from the spent fuel rods stored above reactor No. 4 in new video shot at the plant on Wednesday:

After signing a condolence book at the Japanese Embassy in Washington on Thursday, President Obama said the American people were “heartbroken” by the crisis in Japan.

According to a pool report, this is what President Obama wrote in the condolence book:

My heart goes out to the people of Japan during this enormous tragedy. Please know that America will always stand by one of its greatest allies during this time of need. Because of the strength and wisdom of its people, we know that Japan will recover, and indeed will emerge stronger than ever. And as it recovers, the memory of those who have been lost will remain in our hearts, and will serve only to strengthen the relationship between our two countries. May God bless the people of Japan.

Speaking hours after he visited the Japanese Embassy in Washington to sign a condolence book, President Obama said on Thursday that he had ordered the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission “to do a comprehensive review of the safety of our domestic nuclear plants in light of the natural disaster that unfolded in Japan.”

In a statement on the crisis in Japan at the White House a short time ago, Mr. Obama said:

Over the last several days, the American people have been both heartbroken and deeply concerned about the developments in Japan. We’ve seen an earthquake and tsunami render unimaginable — an unimaginable toll of death and destruction on one of our closest friends and allies in the world. And we’ve seen this powerful natural disaster cause even more catastrophe through its impact on nuclear reactors that bring peaceful energy to the people of Japan.

Today, I wanted to update the American people on what we know about the situation in Japan, what we’re doing to support American citizens and the safety of our own nuclear energy, and how we are helping the Japanese people contain the damage, recover and rebuild.

First, we are bringing all available resources to bear to closely monitor the situation, and to protect American citizens who may be in harm’s way. Even as Japanese responders continue to do heroic work, we know that the damage to the nuclear reactors in Fukushima Daiichi plant poses a substantial risk to people who are nearby. That is why yesterday we called for an evacuation of American citizens who are within 50 miles of the plant. This decision was based upon a careful scientific evaluation and the guidelines that we would use to keep our citizens safe here in the United States or anywhere in the world.

Beyond this 50-mile radius, the risks do not currently call for an evacuation. But we do have a responsibility to take prudent and precautionary measures to educate those Americans who may be endangered by exposure to radiation if the situation deteriorates. That’s why last night I authorized the voluntary departures of family members and dependents of U.S. officials working in northeastern Japan.

All U.S. citizens in Japan should continue to carefully monitor the situation and follow the guidance of the U.S. and Japanese governments. And those who are seeking assistance should contact our embassy and consulates, which continue to be open and operational.

Second, I know that many Americans are also worried about the potential risks to the United States, so I want to be very clear. We do not expect harmful levels of radiation to reach the United States, whether it’s the West Coast, Hawaii, Alaska or U.S. territories in the Pacific. Let me repeat that: We do not expect harmful levels of radiation to reach the West Coast, Hawaii, Alaska or U.S. territories in the Pacific. That is the judgment of our Nuclear Regulatory Commission and many other experts.

Furthermore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and public health experts do not recommend that people in the United States take precautionary measures beyond staying informed. In going forward, we will continue to keep the American people fully updated, because I believe that you must know what I know as president.

Here at home, nuclear power is also an important part of our own energy future, along with renewable sources like wind, solar, natural gas and clean coal. Our nuclear power plants have undergone exhaustive study and have been declared safe for any number of extreme contingencies. But when we see a crisis like the one in Japan, we have a responsibility to learn from this event and to draw from those lessons to ensure the safety and security of our people. That’s why I’ve asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to do a comprehensive review of the safety of our domestic nuclear plants in light of the natural disaster that unfolded in Japan.

Finally, we are working aggressively to support our Japanese ally at this time of extraordinary challenge. Search and rescue teams are on the ground in Japan to help the recovery effort. A disaster assistance and response team is working to confront the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami.

The U.S. military, which has helped to ensure the security of Japan for decades, is working around the clock. To date, we’ve flown hundreds of missions to support the recovery efforts and distributed thousands of pounds of food and water to the Japanese people. We’ve also deployed some of our leading experts to help contain the damage at Japan’s nuclear reactors. We’re sharing with them expertise, equipment and technology so that the courageous responders on the scene have the benefit of American teamwork and support.

And the American people have also opened up their hearts. Many have given generously to support the ongoing relief efforts. The Red Cross is providing assistance to help meet the immediate needs of those who have been displaced. And I would encourage anybody who wants to lend a hand to go to USAID.gov to learn more. That’s USAID.gov to find out how you can be helpful.

As I told Prime Minister Kan last night and reaffirmed at the Japanese Embassy here in Washington today, the Japanese people are not alone in this time of great trial and sorrow. Across the Pacific, they will find a hand of support extended from the United States as they get back on their feet. After all, we have an alliance that was forged more than a half century ago and strengthened by shared interests and democratic values. Our people share ties of family, ties of culture and ties of commerce. Our troops have served to protect Japan’s shores. And our citizens have found opportunity and friendship in Japan’s cities and towns.

Above all, I am confident that Japan will recover and rebuild, because of the strength and spirit of the Japanese people. Over the last few days, they’ve opened up their homes to one another. They’ve shared scarce resources of food and water. They’ve organized shelters, provided free medical care and looked out for their most vulnerable citizens.

One man put it simply: “It’s a Japanese thing; when hard times hit, we have to help each other.”

In these hard times, there remains nevertheless hope for the future. In one small town that had been flattened by the tsunami, emergency workers rescued a 4-month-old baby who had been swept out of her parents’ arms and stranded for days among the debris. No one can say for certain just how she survived the water and the wreckage around her. There is a mystery in the course of human events. But in the midst of economic recovery and global upheaval, disasters like this remind us of the common humanity that we share. We see it in the responders who are risking their lives at Fukushima. We show it through the help that has poured into Japan from 70 countries. And we hear it in the cries of a child miraculously pulled from the rubble.

In the coming days, we will continue to do everything we can to ensure the safety of American citizens and the security of our sources of energy. And we will stand with the people of Japan as they contain this crisis, recover from this hardship and rebuild their great nation.

”Although all the local authorities are required to conduct the tests, they will mainly be enforced on the fresh foods produced in municipalities related to the (nuclear power plant) accident,” said Kohei Otsuka, vice minister for health, labor and welfare.

At present, no food has shown levels exceeding the standard, the health ministry said. The standard, which the ministry set up based on the reference index by the Nuclear Safety Commission, is relatively higher than international standards, Otsuka said.

The decision is likely to spark criticism from food distributors. A store manager in Tokyo said he may be unable to sell foods produced in the vicinity of nuclear power plants as the tests may evoke harmful rumors about products from the area.

”The government is spurring crisis. The decision makes it look as if contaminated food is already on the market,” said Tatsuya Kakita, the head of a research institute on consumer issues.

According to the instruction, the ministry can order shipments to be suspended if the foods are found with radioactive levels exceeding the provisional standard under the Japanese food sanitation law.

Some local municipalities have started preparations for the test, to be launched Friday at the earliest. Otsuka said the official standards will be set after research and monitoring using the provisional ones.

As the table embedded in our 12:14 p.m. update indicates, the government’s standard sets a limit of 200 becquerel cesium per 1 kilogram of milk and dairy products and 500 becquerel per 1 kg of vegetables, grains, meat and eggs. For levels of radioactive iodine, the standard allows 300 becquerel for 1 kilogram of drinking water and 2,000 becquerel for a kilogram of vegetables.

Martyn Williams, a Tokyo-based journalist, reports on Twitter that the Tokyo Power Electric Company has released this new video of the badly damaged reactor buildings at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, shot on Wednesday from a helicopter flying over the area:

Japan’s Health Ministry has written to local governments with advice on the “handling of food contaminated by radioactivity.”

The second page of the ministry’s letter to local officials includes a table that specifies the exact levels of radioactive iodine, radioactive cesium, uranium and alpha-emitting nuclides of plutonium and transuranic elements that are considered dangerous in foods, according to the Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan.

Writing in Thursday’s Globe and Mail, John Allemang looks for answers to a question several Lede readers have asked in recent days as the nuclear crisis in Japan has continued: “Why did a country that suffered the utter horror of Hiroshima and Nagasaki so willingly give itself over to nuclear power?”

After pointing out that “Japan’s 55 reactors produce nearly 30 percent of the country’s electricity, and the long-term strategy before the Fukushima disaster was to push that figure to 50 percent by 2030,” Mr. Allemang reports:

Security is a complicated idea in Japan. Its political security has been tied to the United States since the end of the Second World War, a client-state relationship that undermines feelings of national pride. So any areas where independence can be expressed become more attractive, whether it’s protecting rice farmers from cheap imports or developing a domestic energy network that stabilizes the Japanese economy and frees it from the unpredictability of the Arab world.

“The Japanese talk about security in terms of cultural sensibility,” says Ian Condry of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “It’s as much an idea of sovereignty as it is of protection. So there’s an effort to balance the fear of nuclear power with the desire to be independent of foreign oil suppliers.”

To allay the fears, Japanese advocates of nuclear power have gone out of their way to stress its virtues: It’s safe (because it’s in the control of punctilious engineers), clean (in a country that prizes purity) and proudly Japanese. The Tokyo Electric Power Co., which operates the Fukushima Daiichi plant, features a plucky little cartoon mascot on its website who promotes the “safety and necessity” of atomic energy.

Mr. Allemang adds:

The spectre of Hiroshima and Nagasaki haunts nuclear energy’s doubters, and the survivors of the bombings — known as hibakusha — have been prominent in campaigns against nuclear expansion. And yet their influence is more limited than non-Japanese might think. Information about the bombings was suppressed during the years of the American occupation of Japan (1945-52), and survivors of the blasts — sickly, disfigured and impoverished — often found themselves shunned by the rest of Japanese society.

Steve Herman, a Voice of America correspondent who is in Fukushima Prefecture, where Japanese officials are struggling to contain the damage at a nuclear plant, reports on Twitter that he, like many people in Japan and around the world, is following the latest news from the plant by watching Japan’s state broadcaster, NHK. (Readers of The Lede can watch a live feed of NHK’s rolling news coverage, with simultaneous English translation, in the player at the top of this post.)

Within the past hour Mr. Herman observed a change in tone by the state broadcaster’s journalists and guests, writing on Twitter: “NHK on-set commentators [are] being openly critical now of contradictory and opaque communications coming from [the] Japanese government.”

Earlier, Martyn Williams, a Tokyo-based journalist, observed on Twitter that Japan’s Foreign Ministry had asked foreign media outlets not to show images of the bodies of disaster victims out of respect for their families.

As several journalists on The Lede’s Japan Crisis Twitter list observed about 30 minutes ago, another strong aftershock just struck the region, measuring magnitude 5.8 at a depth of 30 kilometers, or about 18 miles.

As my colleagues Norimitsu Onishi, David Sanger and Matthew Wald report, earlier on Thursday at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station, Japan’s Self-Defense Forces dumped seawater from a helicopter on Reactor No. 3, making four passes and dropping a total of about 8,000 gallons over it as a plume of white smoke billowed.

This video report from Britain’s ITN includes Japanese television footage of the operation:

Two Ground Self-Defense Force choppers dropped seawater in a 7,500-liter bag four times each in the morning on the No. 3 reactor, an operation aboutn which Defense Minister Toshimi Kitazawa said in Tokyo, ”We decided to do this because we thought that today is the time limit.”

The 12-minute operation was followed in the evening by the shooting of high-pressure streams of water by six SDF fire trucks. A water cannon truck dispatched by the Metropolitan Police Department also began spraying water, but suspended the work later, the National Police Agency said.

Kitazawa said that he believes the water from the copters reached the reactor, but plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. said that the radiation level remained unchanged at the nuclear plant afterward. …

Concerns are growing that the level of the water filling the spent fuel pool of the No. 4 unit is also becoming low, but Tokyo Electric officials said that the GSDF decided to first spray water on the No. 3 unit, which has vented smoke from Wednesday. The smoke is likely to be steam coming from water boiling in the pool.

But a GSDF chopper found earlier in the day that water is left in the pond at the No. 4 unit, according Tokyo Electric.

The pools of both the No. 3 and No. 4 units are situated near the roof of the buildings housing the reactors, but are no longer covered with roofs that would reduce any possible radiation leaks since they were blown off by apparent hydrogen blasts earlier this week.

After the quake, the spent fuel pools at the power station lost their cooling function. It is also no longer possible to monitor the water level and temperature of the pools of the No. 1 to 4 units.

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